LOCUSTS 



great haunch striped with red and a long shank shaped 

 like a two-edged saw. 



The wing-cases are at present two skimpy, trian- 

 gular pinions, of which the free ends stand up like 

 pointed gables. These two coat-tails, of which the 

 material seems to have been clipped short with ridiculous 

 meanness, just cover the creature's nakedness at the 

 small of the back, and shelter two lean strips, the germs 

 of the wings. In brief, the sumptuous slender sails 

 of the near future are at present sheer rags, of such 

 meagre size as to be grotesque. From these miserable 

 envelopes there will come a marvel of stately elegance. 



The first thing to be done is to burst the old tunic. 

 All along the corselet of the insect there is a line that 

 is weaker than the rest of the skin. Waves of blood 

 can be seen throbbing within, rising and falling alter- 

 nately, distending the skin until at last it splits at the 

 line of least resistance, and opens as though the two 

 symmetrical halves had been soldered. The split is 

 continued some little way back, and runs between the 

 fastenings of the wings: it goes up the head as far as 

 the base of the antennae, where it sends a short branch 

 to right and left. 



Through this break the back is seen, quite soft, pale, 

 hardly tinged with grey. Slowly it swells into a larger 

 and larger hunch. At last it is wholly released. The 

 head follows, pulled out of its mask, which remains 



[243] 



